SAFE LEARNER DRIVING WITH A BLACK BOX

Let's get one thing straight before we begin. Driving safely does not just mean driving at 10mph and checking your surroundings 100+ times before making a manoeuvre.

Actually, quite the opposite. Safe driving seems like an incredibly easy concept to explain, but it's not just about watching your speed and checking your mirrors before every manoeuvre. Learner drivers need to get familiar with a host of other things, which is why insurance companies incentivise them by offering what are known as black box policies - which essentially allow the insurers to monitor their customers' driving behaviour.

What do insurance companies take into consideration here?

Using what the black box tells them, they measure safe driving on the following 5 criteria:

Speed

As is often the case, increased speed equals increased danger. Driving is about more than just putting your foot down - so make sure that you drive at an appropriate speed for the type of road and conditions; this may be lower than the actual speed limit. It's more important that you arrive at your location safely.

Smooth Driving

Are you a little too heavy on the brakes? Or lead footed when it comes to acceleration? Both of these are significant factors in safe driving by our standards. So it's important that you look ahead, keep your attention fully on the road, avoid any distractions, and try not to brake suddenly, or sharply accelerate.

Taking Breaks

Driving can be incredibly tiring - whenever you make a long journey it's so important you stop frequently; driver fatigue is a common factor in road accidents so keeping yourself alert can help keep you safe. Experts recommend that you take a break of at least 20 minutes, every 2 hours.

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